Desertdog
Member
Council rejects gun ban
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/07/25/top_story/doc44c54c08ce86c726066523.txt
The Lincoln City Council shot down Mayor Coleen Seng’s proposal to ban concealed weapons in the city once a new state law takes effect next year.
BY MATT OLBERDING | Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady spent much of the weekend preparing written testimony for what he thought was going to be a long, contentious hearing July 31 on Mayor Coleen Seng’s proposal to ban concealed weapons in the city once a new state law takes effect next year.
But Casady’s testimony was reduced to a media handout Monday when the City Council, in a surprise move, voted to kill the proposal.
“I’ve never seen anything like this happen before,” said a frustrated Casady during a hastily arranged press conference Monday afternoon.
Though the proposal was not on the council’s Monday agenda, it was on the list of pending items with a notation that it was to have a public hearing July 31.
At the end of the meeting Monday, Councilman Jon Camp made a motion to take the proposal off the pending list and not take it any further.
His motion passed 5-2, with only Democrats Dan Marvin and Jonathan Cook opposing it.
Neither Seng nor Casady knew about the vote before it happened.
Seng found out by watching the council meeting on television; Casady was informed by a reporter.
Camp said he had talked to other council members and “sensed enough support today to do it.”
But Seng and Casady both said the council’s vote cheated the public out of an opportunity to have their say on the issue.
Seng said that in her 20 years on the council and as mayor, she’s never seen a situation where “we’ve denied the public an opportunity to speak on an issue.
“I’m shocked that the council would do this,” she said.
Casady, who supports the mayor’s proposal, said he himself felt cheated out of the opportunity to be heard.
“I can’t understand for the life of me why at the 11th hour they pulled the rug out from under that opportunity,” he said.
Casady said he’s seen the council spend hours on minutiae in public hearings and can’t understand why they would not at least give people the chance to debate the issue.
“I’ve never seen the City Council do this before,” he said.
Neither Seng nor Casady would speculate as to whether Omaha’s recent decision to rescind its ban on concealed weapons to be in line with state law had an effect on the council’s vote.
Camp denied that it did, but Marvin said he thought it had an impact.
Even though he voted against it, Marvin defended the council’s decision.
But he did agree that it was out of the norm for how the body operates.
“I would agree with (Seng and Casady) that it was very unusual,” he said.
The mayor’s proposal could be reintroduced or reconsidered if someone from the winning side asked that it be, but that seems unlikely.
Seng cannot veto the decision, according to City Attorney Dana Roper.
The state Legislature voted in March to allow Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons starting Jan.1.
Applicants must pass background checks and meet other criteria to obtain the $100 permits, which will have to be renewed every five years.
The bill was opposed by the Police Officers Association of Nebraska and 85 percent of Lincoln’s police officers, according to Casady.
Casady said he was also concerned by what he sees as loopholes in the law, such as the fact that it would not disqualify someone convicted of stalking from getting a concealed carry permit.
The law also does not prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons into government buildings other than courtrooms, jails and the Legislature.
Camp said he will support local legislation to reconcile that but otherwise thinks the city should follow the state’s lead.
“Since Day 1 I’ve advocated waiting a year and seeing how it unfolds,” he said.
“If I’m proven wrong, I’ll be the first to initiate legislation to change.”
Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or [email protected].
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/07/25/top_story/doc44c54c08ce86c726066523.txt
The Lincoln City Council shot down Mayor Coleen Seng’s proposal to ban concealed weapons in the city once a new state law takes effect next year.
BY MATT OLBERDING | Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady spent much of the weekend preparing written testimony for what he thought was going to be a long, contentious hearing July 31 on Mayor Coleen Seng’s proposal to ban concealed weapons in the city once a new state law takes effect next year.
But Casady’s testimony was reduced to a media handout Monday when the City Council, in a surprise move, voted to kill the proposal.
“I’ve never seen anything like this happen before,” said a frustrated Casady during a hastily arranged press conference Monday afternoon.
Though the proposal was not on the council’s Monday agenda, it was on the list of pending items with a notation that it was to have a public hearing July 31.
At the end of the meeting Monday, Councilman Jon Camp made a motion to take the proposal off the pending list and not take it any further.
His motion passed 5-2, with only Democrats Dan Marvin and Jonathan Cook opposing it.
Neither Seng nor Casady knew about the vote before it happened.
Seng found out by watching the council meeting on television; Casady was informed by a reporter.
Camp said he had talked to other council members and “sensed enough support today to do it.”
But Seng and Casady both said the council’s vote cheated the public out of an opportunity to have their say on the issue.
Seng said that in her 20 years on the council and as mayor, she’s never seen a situation where “we’ve denied the public an opportunity to speak on an issue.
“I’m shocked that the council would do this,” she said.
Casady, who supports the mayor’s proposal, said he himself felt cheated out of the opportunity to be heard.
“I can’t understand for the life of me why at the 11th hour they pulled the rug out from under that opportunity,” he said.
Casady said he’s seen the council spend hours on minutiae in public hearings and can’t understand why they would not at least give people the chance to debate the issue.
“I’ve never seen the City Council do this before,” he said.
Neither Seng nor Casady would speculate as to whether Omaha’s recent decision to rescind its ban on concealed weapons to be in line with state law had an effect on the council’s vote.
Camp denied that it did, but Marvin said he thought it had an impact.
Even though he voted against it, Marvin defended the council’s decision.
But he did agree that it was out of the norm for how the body operates.
“I would agree with (Seng and Casady) that it was very unusual,” he said.
The mayor’s proposal could be reintroduced or reconsidered if someone from the winning side asked that it be, but that seems unlikely.
Seng cannot veto the decision, according to City Attorney Dana Roper.
The state Legislature voted in March to allow Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons starting Jan.1.
Applicants must pass background checks and meet other criteria to obtain the $100 permits, which will have to be renewed every five years.
The bill was opposed by the Police Officers Association of Nebraska and 85 percent of Lincoln’s police officers, according to Casady.
Casady said he was also concerned by what he sees as loopholes in the law, such as the fact that it would not disqualify someone convicted of stalking from getting a concealed carry permit.
The law also does not prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons into government buildings other than courtrooms, jails and the Legislature.
Camp said he will support local legislation to reconcile that but otherwise thinks the city should follow the state’s lead.
“Since Day 1 I’ve advocated waiting a year and seeing how it unfolds,” he said.
“If I’m proven wrong, I’ll be the first to initiate legislation to change.”
Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or [email protected].
